Stand bookings for the next Brityrex International exhibition, to be held at the G-MEX Exhibition Centre, Manchester from 1-3 May 2007, are coming in at a steady pace, according to the organisers ECI International. Sometimes the pace is more than steady, such as the day in August when three separate companies confirmed their attendance at the show. The three were Snap-on Equipment, Tyreco and Rema Tip Top UK and Tyres & Accessories asked them their reasons for booking space at the show.

Exhibitions, said Brian O’Sullivan, General Manager of Snap-on Equipment Ltd., are a regular part of the company’s marketing strategy, with Snap-on usually exhibiting at at least two or three shows a year.

The company offers a range of wheel service equipment under the Hofmann and John Bean brands; no fewer than 10 Hofmann wheel balancers, eight Hofmann tyre changers and eight John Bean computerised alignment systems.

Snap-on Equipment enjoyed great success at the last Brityrex International and O’Sullivan is looking forward to 2007, saying: “We will be using the show to showcase our extensive alignment, balancing and tyre changing ranges, along with the launch of a number of new products, the details of which are confidential at the moment.”

Tools and consumables on show

In contrast to the Snap-on’s line up of capital equipment, Rema Tip Top UK will be using Brityrex to promote its extensive ranges of tools and consumables. The company will be sharing its stand with Taiwanese company K-Tools, the manufacturer of Kuani brand air tools, for which Rema Tip Top has the exclusive UK tyre industry distribution rights.

Divisional Manager, Tyre Repair Materials, Cliff Jones revealed that Rema Tip Top will also be showing a couple of new products, including Xact Balance, from the USA. This is a thermoplastic adhesive weight, with steel particles inside but further details will be released nearer the show.

New product number two is a repair kit for run-flat tyres which, given the current level of debate surrounding these products, should attract a great deal of interest from the tyre trade.

So why had Rema Tip Top decided to use Brityrex International as the launch pad for these products? “We chose Brityrex because it is a tyre-related – indeed, a tyre-specific show” Jones answered, adding that the fact that the event was being supported by the NTDA was “a major factor” in the company’s decision to participate.

The fact that Brityrex International is a dedicated tyre exhibition also played a large part in the decision of UK tyre wholesaler Tyreco to take a stand at the show. In Tyreco’s case, the emphasis is not so much on exhibiting products as a business opportunity for both buying and selling. As Director and General Manager Eddy Fogarty put it: “We will be at the show to do business, rather than just show tyres.”

Why pick Brityrex? “The main reason behind our decision to participate was the obvious success of the last Brityrex at Harrogate,” explained Fogarty, adding: “We regard Brityrex as a professionally-run show for the tyre sector.”

And what about the move to G-MEX? “Manchester is a terrific location and we are looking forward to a successful event,” he replied.

Speaking for ECI International, Managing Director Paul Farrant said that he was “delighted” that so many companies had decided to commit themselves to Brityrex International at this comparatively early stage, believing it to be a vindication of ECI’s decision to revive the show.

Brityrex International is an important part of ECI’s continuing and growing involvement in tyre industry exhibitions – an international involvement that currently spans three continents, with the Tyrexpo Asia, Tyrexpo Africa and Brityrex International events:

“When we re-introduced Brityrex last year, we said that we believed that there was a need and a demand for a UK-based exhibition, dedicated to the tyre industry,” said Farrant. He went on: “The positive reactions that we have had to the 2007 event so far show that our faith was justified and we are very pleased with progress to date.”